Caries Experience in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients in China

Objective: To determine the levels of dental caries in subjects with cleft lip and palate in China. Methods: A total of 380 subjects with cleft lip and palate, and 339 noncleft control subjects, aged between 3 and 25 years old, were examined for dental caries using the decayed-missing-filled-teeth (DMFT/dmft) and decayed-missing-filled-surfaces (DMFS/dmfs) index. A questionnaire was used to acquire subjects' living habits and family socio-economic status.Results: Caries prevalence and score for dmft/DMFT and dmfs/DMFS were significantly higher in children with cleft palates when compared with non-cleft control group (p<0.05), except 3-to 5-year-old children(p>0.05).However, in 3-to 5-year-old group, children with cleft lip and palate had significantly more caries than children of the same age with only a cleft lip or a cleft lip and alveolus(p<0.05). Children whose clefts had been surgically repaired had a lower dmft and dmfs than those who hadn't surgically repaired clefts (p<0.05).Conclusion: Chinese children with oral cleft are at an increased risk for dental caries. The types of cleft and the surgical repair are the two important factors for dental caries. Supported by the national key technologies R and D program of the eleventh five-year plan of the ministry of science and technology(2007BAI18B01), china